Countown to the World Series—II

Fun fact! By this day, October 10, every World Series in the 1930s had ended:

1930: Oct 1-Oct 8 (six games)

1931: Oct 1-Oct 10 (seven games)

1932: Sept 28-Oct 2 (four games)

1933: Oct 3-Oct 7 (five games) *

1934: Oct 3-Oct 9 (seven games) *

1935: Oct 2-Oct 7 (six games) *

1936: Sept 30-Oct 6 (six games)

1937: Oct 6-Oct 10 (five games) *

1938: Oct 5-Oct 9 (four games)

1939: Oct 4-Oct 8 (four games)

What are the asterisks for? Mathematicians? Anybody?

Those are the years when there were no off-days (or even rain-outs) during the World Series. That's right. Despite traveling between New York and D.C. (in '33), St. Louis and Detroit (in '34), Detroit and Chicago (in '35) and, well, the Bronx and Coogan's Bluff (in '37), and travel being limited to 1930s-type travel, they played straight through. I don't know why we can't do this 70-80 years later. It's pretty awful scheduling the brunt of the World Series in November when the LCS's are allowing three days off per series—including in the middle of homestands. I mean, WTF? The fewer days off, the more teams will have to dance with those that brung them, including especially fourth and fifth starters. The more it'll be like the rest of the season. The better weather it'll be played in.

Countdown to the start of the 2009 World Series: 18 days. Every team has, at most, 10 games to play to get there. 10 games in 18 days.